CityLife

Interview: Mike Newall

(Picture by Andy Hollingworth)

WHEN City Life spoke to Stockport comic Mike Newall, he was recovering from that most stressful of activities; sales shopping at the Trafford Centre.

“Yeah it was a nightmare. But people had got me vouchers for Christmas and I needed to spend them,” he says.

Yep, those bargains aren’t going to be there much longer.

After the festive period (that seems so long ago now) and the last minute sales shopping, in comparison stand up probably seems a less tense prospect. Particularly as on Thursday Newall will be hosting his own lovely club night at the Coach And Four pub in Wilmslow.

“I wanted to set up my own night because I just wanted to develop my act and have more freedom on the stage, and if it goes badly you’re going to book yourself again,” he laughs.

“That was a definite idea behind it. I didn’t want to do one in Heald Green because everyone knows everyone, too close to home.

“I worked with a lad at the time who lived in Wilmslow and I asked him were there any places and he said ‘oh the Coach have a jazz night and a band plays in a room upstairs’.

“So I went down to see the room and it was nice and just approached them and luckily they were interested.”

It’s an impressively long running club. Last August saw it clock up its fifth year. Though it’s not been without its hitches along the way.

'Performing arts'

“I think we’ve had four landlords and landladies since, but because it’s so popular I’ve managed to keep it going.

“One of them was competing with us, booking a singer downstairs and one night there were like two people downstairs and 50 up in the room.

“‘Why are you doing it?’ I said. He gave up after that. Yeah, it’s been good.”

Newall didn’t take much time after leaving school to decide that comedy was for him. After embarking initially on a mechanics course but having been a member of a band, he soon decided he wanted to perform.

“I sacked off the mechanics course and I went to City College Manchester at Arden and did a performing arts course.

“I was more interested in the comedy and doing short films and stuff like that, and I was at Jongleurs one night and me mate said to me: ‘I think you should do that. And that’s how it started, really.”

But it wasn’t until he attended the performing arts course at Salford University (graduates include Peter Kay and Jason Manford) that he did his first gig.

“It was a couple of years later, I went to Salford Uni and I knew that they had a stand up module there. I ended up doing that course and my first gig at was at Salford, well it was at a pub – the King’s Arms in Salford.

“It was put on by the uni, did my first 10 minutes as part of the module, and just wanted to do it ever since then.”

He ventured out of the safety of that initial uni gig into the Frog and Bucket’s Bucket Raw night in 2003, which went pretty well.

'Ambition'

“I managed to win a 10-minute spot at the Frog, that’s what you used to get and so that was my third gig or summat on a sold out Saturday night.

“So that was a bit of a milestone. It went well luckily. In September, 2004, I got my first weekend at the Frog. They’ve been behind me since day one.

“Not a lot of clubs do that, you have to badger away at them.”

It’s been a steady progress since and Newall has an eye on the future, “because I did media and performing arts at college. I think acting is something that I might like to go back to one day.”

Plus he’s also thrown his hat in to do something this August too.

“I’m looking towards doing something in Edinburgh this year, so that’s an ambition.

“I went up this year just to check out the vibe to see if I did actually want to do it, and I loved it and I ended up doing a few spots while I was up there.

“Then I shot off my mouth saying I’m definitely going to do a show next year.

“I do have a couple of ideas for a show, but if I don’t do a full show I’ll probably do a double header or something anyway.”

And now we’ve put it in print too…

Mike Newall will be compering Coachload of Comedy on February 4, 2010 at the Coach and Four in Wilmslow.